WebStorm 2016.2 Help

Run/Debug Configuration: Node JS

In this dialog box, create configurations for running and debugging of NodeJS applications locally. "Locally" in the current context means that
WebStorm itself starts the NodeJS runtime environment installed on your computer, whereupon initiates a running or debugging session.

In this text box, type the NodeJS-specific command line options to be passed to the NodeJS executable file. The acceptable options are:

--debug-brk==<port for connect to debugger remotely>

With the --debug-brk option, the execution of the application suspends right after launch. This option allows you to debug the code executed on start.

With the --debug option, the code that has to be executed on the application start is executed whereupon the application waits for a debugger to connect to it.
This option is useful when you are not going to debug Node.js right now, but you want to debug it later.

Specify this option to enable remote debugging of the application without re-starting the NodeJS server.

-v, --version

Print the current version of NodeJS.

-e, --eval script

Evaluate script.

--v8-options

Print v8 command line options.

--vars

Print various compiled-in variables.

--max-stack-size=val

Set max v8 stack size (bytes).

--require coffee-script/register

Specify this parameter to have CoffeeScript files transpiled into JavaScript on the fly during run.
This mode requires that the register.js file, which is a part of the coffee-script package,
should be located inside the project. Therefore you need to install the coffee-script package
on the Node.js page locally,
as described in Installing and Removing External Software Using Node Package Manager.

Working Directory

In this field,
specify the working directory of the application.
All references in the starting NodeJS application file, for example, imports,
will be resolved relative to this folder, unless such references use full paths.

By default, the field shows the project root folder. To change this predefined setting,
choose the desired folder from the drop-down list, or type the path manually, or click the Browse button
and select the location in the dialog box, that opens.

JavaScript File

In this field, specify the full path to the file to start running or debugging the application from.

If you are going to debug CoffeeScript, specify the path to the generated JavaScript file with source maps. The file can be generated externally
or through transpilation using file watchers. For more details, see Transpiling CoffeeScript to JavaScript.

Application Parameters

In this text box, type
the NodeJS-specific arguments to be passed to the application start file
through the process.argv array.

Environment Variables

In this field, specify the environment variables for the NodeJS executable file, if applicable.
Click the Browse button to the right of the field and configure a list of variables
in the Environment Variables dialog box, that opens:

To define a new variable, click the Add toolbar button and specify the variable name and value.

To discard a variable definition, select it in the list and click the Delete toolbar button .

Click OK, when ready

The definitions of variables are displayed in the Environment variables read-only field with semicolons as separators. The acceptable variables are:

NODE_PATH: A :-separated list of directories prefixed to the module search path.

NODE_MODULE_CONTEXTS: Set to 1 to load modules in their own global contexts.

NODE_DISABLE_COLORS: Set to 1 to disable colors in the REPL.

Path Mappings

Browser / Live Edit tab

In this tab,
configure the behaviour of the browser and enable debugging the client-side code of the application. This functionality is provided through a JavaScript Debug run configuration, so
technically, WebStorm creates separate run configurations for the server-side and the client-side code,
but you specify all your settings in one dedicated NodeJS run configuration.

However, activating Live Edit in this tab lets you invoke Live Edit without creating a separate configuration,
during a debugging session launched through the Node.js configuration.

In the text box in this area,
specify the URL address to open the application at. If you select the After Launch check box,
the browser will open this page automatically after the application starts.
Alternatively you can view the same result by opening the page with this URL address in the browser of your choice manually.

After launch

Select this check box
to have a browser started automatically after a debugging session is launched. Specify the browser to use in the drop-down list next to the check box.

To use the system default browser, choose Default.

To use a custom browser, choose it from the list. Note that Live Edit is fully supported only in Chrome.

To configure browsers, click the Browse button and adjust the settings in the Web Browsers dialog box that opens.
For more information, see Configuring Browsers.

With JavaScript debugger

Select this check box
to enable debugging the client-side code in the selected browser.

V8 Profiling tab

Item

Description

Record CPU profiling info

Select this check box to start logging the CPU profiling data when the application is launched.
The controls in the area below become enabled. Specify the following:

Log folder: in this field,
specify the folder to store recorded logs in.
Profiling data are stored in V8 log files isolate-<session number>.

One log file for isolates:

Tick package: in this field,
specify the tick package to use. Choose the relevant package from the Tick package drop-down list
or click the button next to it and choose the package in the dialog box that opens.

Gnuplot package: in this field,
specify the location of the Gnuplot executable file
to explore a timeline view that shows where V8 is spending time.

Allow taking heap snapshots

Select this check box to...
The controls in the area below become enabled. Specify the following:

V8 profiler package: in this field,
specify the v8-profiler package to use. Choose the relevant package from the v8-profiler package drop-down list
or click the button next to it and choose the package in the dialog box that opens.

Communication port: in this field,
specify the port through which WebStorm communicates with the profiler, namely, sends a command to take a snapshot
when you click the Take Heap Snapshot button on the toolbar of the Run tool window.

Toolbar

Item

Shortcut

Description

Alt+Insert

Click this button to add a new configuration to the list.

Alt+Delete

Click this button to remove the selected configuration from the list.

Ctrl+D

Click this button to create a copy of the selected configuration.

Edit defaults

Click this button to edit the default configuration templates.
The defaults are used for newly created configurations.

or

Alt+Up or Alt+Down

Use these buttons to move the selected configuration or folder up and down in the list.

The order of configurations or folders in the list defines the order in which configurations appear in the Run/Debug drop-down list on the main toolbar.

Sort configurations

Click this button to sort configurations in alphabetical order.

Common options

Item

Description

Name

In this text box, specify the name of the current run/debug configuration. This field does not appear for the default run/debug configurations.

Defaults

This node in the left-hand pane of the dialog box contains the default run/debug configuration settings.
Select the desired configuration to change its default settings in the right-hand pane.
The defaults are applied to all newly created run/debug configurations.

Share

Select this check box to make the run/debug configuration available to other team members.

The shared run/debug configurations are kept in separate xml files under .idea\runConfigurations folder,
while the local run/debug configurations are kept in
the .idea\workspace.xml.

This check box is not available when editing the run/debug configuration defaults.

Single instance only

If this check box is selected, this run/debug configuration cannot be launched more than once.

Every time a new run/debug configuration is launched, WebStorm checks the presence of the other instances
of the same run/debug configuration, and displays a confirmation dialog box. If you click OK
in the confirmation dialog box, the first instance of the runner will be stopped,
and the next one will take its place.

This makes sense when the usage of certain resources can cause conflicts, or when launching two run/debug
configurations of the same type consumes too much of the CPU and memory resources.

If this check box is not selected, it is possible to launch as many instances of the runner as required.
So doing, each runner will start in its own tab of the Run tool window.

Before launch

Specify which tasks must be performed before applying the run/debug configuration.
The specified tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list.

Item

Keyboard shortcut

Description

Alt+Insert

Click this icon to add a task to the list. Select the task to be added:

Run External tool.
Select this option to run an application which is external to WebStorm.
In the dialog that opens, select the application or applications that should be run.
If the necessary application is not defined in WebStorm yet, add its definition.
For more information, see Configuring Third-Party Tools and External Tools.

Run Another Configuration.
Select this option to have another run/debug configuration executed.
In the dialog that opens, select the configuration to run.

This option is available only if you have already at least one run/debug configuration in the current project.

Run File Watchers.
Select this option to have WebStorm apply all the currently active file watchers,
see Using File Watchers for details.

Run Grunt task. Select this option to run a Grunt task.
In the Grunt task dialog box that opens, specify the Gruntfile.js where the required task is defined,
select the task to execute,
and specify the arguments to pass to the Grunt tool.

Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the grunt-cli package.

Run Gulp task. Select this option to run a Grunt task.
In the Gulp task dialog box that opens, specify the Gulpfile.js where the required task is defined,
select the task to execute,
and specify the arguments to pass to the Gulp tool.

Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the gulp package.

Run npm Script. Select this check box to execute an npm script.
In the NPM Script dialog box that opens, specify the package.json file where the required script is defined,
select the script to execute, choose the command to apply to it, and specify the arguments to execute the script with.

Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter and the parameters to pass to it.

Compile TypeScript. Select this option to run the built-in TypeScript compiler
and thus make sure that
all the changes you made to your TypeScript code are reflected in the generated JavaScript files.
In the TypeScript Compile Settings dialog that opens, select or clear the Check errors check box
to configure the behaviour of the compiler in case any errors are detected:

If the Check errors check box is selected, the compiler will show all the errors
and the run configuration will not start.

If the Check errors check box is cleared, the compiler will show all the detected errors
but the run configuration still will be launched.

Generate CoffeeScript Source Maps.
Select this option to have the source maps for your CoffeeScript sources generated.
In the dialog that opens, specify where your CoffeeScript source files are located.
For more information, see CoffeeScript Support.